Showing posts with label #treasuresoflaos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #treasuresoflaos. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

From Kunming to Vientiane: The Crossborder Service of Lao-China-Railway has started

See stations and tunnels of China Laos Railway on Google Map by #treasuresoflaos


The Lanexang EMU, arriving at Vang Vieng station

Finally it's possible to travel on railway from Kunming in China to Vientiane in Laos: On April 13 the first trains left Kunming and Vientiane and arrived 10-and-half-hours later at their destination. The 1,000-kilometer rail line, which links the capital of China’s Yunnan province to the capital of Laos, had been completed in December 2021, but due to Chinas’s strict “zero COVID” policies, the border of China and Laos could not be crossed.

Now the fast train between Vientiane and Kunming South Station is running daily in both directions, starting at 8:08 am and arriving at 19.38 in Kunming (China time) and 17.38 in Vientiane. First class tickets for the full journey are available for 760 yuan ($110) while second-class tickets are priced at 470 yuan ($68). Laos-China Railway Company Limited (LCR) have launched an App on Google Play, iOS and Huawei to allow passengers to purchase LCR train tickets on their mobile phones using UnionPay cards. The service is operated with green bullet trains of China Railway and the Lanexang EMU trains of Lao-China-Railway. Find more informations on Hobomap.

For the border checks the passengers have to leave the train in Mohan (China) and Boten (Laos) with all their belongings. The stops will take 90 minutes.


Read more:
China-Laos Railway: Timetable, Tickets and Rules





The Lanexang EMU of Lao-China-Railway entering Mohan station in China:



The green bullet train of China Railway entering Vang Vieng station in Laos:



Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Chinas Railway for Laos:
Track laying has arrived at Luang Prabang at the end of 2020

Open Google Map of China-Laos Railway with pictures of construction:




Find technical informations, list of planned stations and maps here.


Update 26.12.2020

The Laos-China Railway Co. is to develop areas surrounding railway stations in Vientiane Capital, Vientiane Province, Oudomxay, and Luang Prabang. The government of Laos signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the company, reports laotiantimes.com.

Xiang Ngeun Number 3 Tunnel in Luang Prabang Province has been drilled through on 29 september. Now all of the 75 tunnels of China Laos Railway have been constructed.


Update 31.12.2020

Track laying fro China-Laos-Railway has arrived in Luang Prabang at the end of December 2020.




Update 10.12.2020

The track laying of the China-Laos-Railway project, undertaken by CREC, has exceeded 100 km and has reached Vang Vieng Station in Laos in July 2020, what means that 25 percent of the track was laid. In November 2020 the track laying reached Ban Sen No.2 Tunnel.



See the development of Luang Prabang railway station:


Read: The China-Laos railway: a way out of poverty or a white elephant in waiting?

In September 2020 the 9 km long Ban Phoukeu tunnel in Muang Nga province was drilled through by China Railway No. 8 Engineering Group.


In September 2020 the main building of Nateuy station was finished by China Railway Construction Engineering Group (CRCEG).



Update 20.5.2020

Friendship Tunnel 友谊隧道 crossing the border between Laos an China in Boten with a total length of 9,959 meters has been drilled through by China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) after 37 months of work. See pictures.

Track laying has started in Vientiane. And now tracks have been laid in the first tunnel, Baan Nong Khai tunnel in Vientiane province.




Update 27.3.2020

Near Vientiane the first 500 metres of railway tracks have been laid. After reduced working during the coronavirus outbreak in China the track lying period has been compressed. The plan is to lay 1,5 kilometers of track every day. Read more.




Picture by Aero Laos on Facebook


Update 23.3.2020

Boten Special Economic Zone has fallen silent due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports rfa.org. Construction works have been stopped and stores and restaurants are closed, because few Chinese managers, technicians or tourists are showing up. Chinas Peopke Daily, a government controlled newspaper, turns it like this: "China’s investment projects in Laos gradually resume operation amid the epidemic outbreak". The work on crossborder friendship tunnel has resumed according to Crec-2. Only "some" of China’s investment projects have resumed their production and construction according to this report. One example is Vientiane Saysettha Development Zone, co-founded by China Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd (YCIH) and the Vientiane Municipal Government. The Vientiane-Vangvieng Expressway construction has officially resumed on February 10 according to this report (also constructed by China Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group Co.).
on 15.3.2020 China Railway Wuhan Electrification Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (WEEG) planted the first engineering pole for overhead contact system at the construction site of the China-Laos railway project in Vientiane, Laos. Also the power supply project, running along the China-Laos railway through five provincial administrative regions in northern Laos, has started. Planned are 20 circuits of 115 kV transmission lines with the total length of 268 km and 635 power towers and extend 11 bays in 10 substations, in order to supply power from the state-run Electricite du Laos grid to 10 railway traction substations. The project is invested and built by a joint venture, namely Laos-China Power Investment Company, co-sponsored by China Southern Power Grid (CSG) and the state-run Electricite du Laos, and implemented mainly by CSG’s engineering companies.


Update 28.2.2020

Construction work on tunnels in Vientiane province is filling a creek and other local waterways with waste released by boring, polluting the water and harming the livelihoods of local residents, reports rfa.org. Water in the Houay Pamom Creek in the area of the Vang Vieng district’s Phahom village is murky and clouded. “Chemicals are flowing from Kai district, where a railway tunnel is being bored. The railway workers are spraying liquid cement onto the tunnel wall,” one village resident said. Houay Pamom Creek is a tributary of the larger Nam Song River, a popular location for swimming, tubing, and kayaking. Another Nam Song tributary — the Nam Lik River — was polluted more than a week ago by waste released from the construction of another railway tunnel, with the run-off killing nearly 50 kilograms of fish. “Chinese workers have been releasing chemicals that kill the fish, and the authorities have warned us not to use the river’s water or eat fish taken from the river,” a resident of Viengko village near the town of Vang Vieng said.

Right now, there are no informations available, how the coronavirus outbreak impacts the construction of China-Laos-Railway with a lot of Chinese workers. Xinhuanet just shows "epidemic prevention measures". But it is known that some CREC-5 engineers cannot return to their position in Laos and part of the construction materials' transportation has been halted in China as thestar.com.my reports.


Update 16.2.20

The Rebirth of Casino Town Boten, Laos: A one hour documentary by Channel News Asia:




Update 5.5.2019

See #chinalaosrailway in the bigger picture, as part of China's Belt-and-Road-Strategy on #BeltandRoad Google Map

The Kunming-Vientiane Railway in a Study by Center for Global Development (Washington): The Economic,Procurement, Labor, and Safeguards Dimensions of a Chinese Belt and Road Project.

Update 26.4.2019

Thailand, China, and Laos have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on the development of a rail line between Nong Khai and Vientiane in Laos. A new bridge across Mekong River will be the connection between #chinalaosrailway and Thailands highspeed railway. Read Bangkok Post. Find more informations about the development in Thailand on #BeltandRoad Google Map.


Update 26.3.2019

A video by Xinhua news agency shows the start of the beam-laying process for Nam Khone River Bridge 南柯内河特大桥 in the north of Vientiane. See the video.


Update 4.3.2019

The construction of Yuxi-Mohan railway and Boten-Vientiane railway lead to a new construction boom in the so called Beautiful Boten Specific Economic Zone. According to Laotian media Chinese investors want to pure more than $1.5 billion into the new development. China Haicheng Group 中国海诚集团积 is one company involved. They got funding from Hong Kong Fuk Hing Travel Entertainment Group Ltd according to Vientiane Times. Fuk Hing Travel Entertainment Group? Its leader Wong Man Suen was the partner of the Laos authorities for the closed Golden Boten City. "It comes as a surprise to learn the Lao officials have decided to give Wong yet another chance", writes forbes.com. Read more: After Golden Boten City fell in the Hand of Criminals: The second Chance

Update 25.2.2019

As important as the railway in Laos is the connection from the Lao border to Yuxi in Yunnan, from where an existing railway line leads to Kunming. China is building the 503.9 km long Yuxi-Mohan railway 玉磨铁路, also called Yumo Railway, with very high speed through rugged mountains. It counts 133 bridges and 91 main tunnels. Yumo railway will be electrified and have double-track from Yuxi to Jinghong and single-track from Jinghong to Mohan. Get an overview about the progress and find Yuyi-Mohan Railway 玉磨铁路 Google Map.


Update 10.1.2019

Chinese Railway Project in Laos Leaves Farmers in the Lurch: The railway has displaced more than 4,400 families from their land, many of these families have still not been compensated, reports rfa.org. Rattanamany Khounnivong, vice minister at the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport, told RFA late last year that those who lost houses and did not have places to live would get paid first, while those who lost farmland might get paid later. According to ABC Laos News’ Facebook page, Khounnivong said at a railway project committee meeting in November last year that of the $300 million that the government must pay out in compensation for losses related to the project, only $156 million has been paid. According to rfa.org the government must therefore borrow money from China to pay the rest this year.


Lao Villagers Reject Plans For China-Invested SEZ in Vang Vieng: The project, managed by the Chinese firm Lao-Vang Vieng New Area Development Company, will affect 22 villages lying to the west of the Xong river, reports rfa.org. Signed by the Lao-Vang Vieng Company last year in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Laos, the project will run in three phases over 15 years at a cost of U.S. $5.5 billion, and is expected to create 50,000 jobs, according to Lao media sources.



Update 14.12.2018

Picture of Luang Prabang Mekong Bridge 琅勃拉邦湄公河特大桥, planned 1458.9 Meters long


Picture by marhas


Picture by marhas


Picture by marhas


Picture by marhas


Picture by marhas



Update 12.12.2018



"Defaming Laos-China Railway is Ignoring Lao People’s Future": Chinese writer Zeng Ren argues on Chiang Rai Times, that the Laos-China railway "will become an important pillar of Laos’ economic growth". He gives the following data about expropriation of land: "About 3,000 hectares of land will be permanently taken over and 800 hectares of land will be temporarily used. Some 4,411 households will be affected due to the construction of the railway". He goes on: "Lao government is now seeking the opinion of relevant parties on the compensation standard. According to the requirements of railway projects, the compensation for land in different sections differs and is mainly based on whether the land is connected to national highways, provincial highways, village roads, or have no road access. Villagers affected by the railway will also be paid for their houses and apartments, as well as small buildings such as kitchens, sundries, garages, shops and animal houses. In addition, the developers of the railway will compensate people for crops and fruit trees that must be uprooted due to the railway construction. (...) The government’s compensation standard is 320,000 kip – 3.5 million kip per square metre (about US$37-US$410 per square metre). Plus other compensation for farmland, homesteads, young crops and so on, the amount of compensation will be considerable and equal to the annual income of local people."


Update 3.12.2018

How Asia Fell Out of Love With China’s Belt and Road Initiative: "Countries are discovering that the promise of Xi Jinping’s signature infrastructure program is too good to be true", writes bloomberg.com.


Update 1.11.2018

1,158-m-long Nateuy No 1 tunnel on the China-Laos Railway in Luang Namtha has been drilled through by China Railway No.5 Engineering Group (CREC 5). Huang Zongwen, a senior official with the China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group (CREC 5), told Xinhua the construction of the Nateuy No. 1 Tunnel, with 1158 meters, was started on June 3, 2017. "That the tunnel passes soft rocks all the way in the mountain, brought some difficulties in construction and especially, affected the digging pace," Huang said. See pictures.




Update 9.10.2018

Thailands Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak complained Monday that the development of the high-speed Thai-Chinese railway from Bangkok to Nong Khai is lagging behind schedule, as Bangkok Post reports. The route is divided into two major phases. The first is Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima, which is 253km in length and set to cost 179 billion baht. The second phase runs from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai province.


Update 1.10.2018

The Chinese contractor told Xinhua the concrete casting for the first block of the Luang Prabang cross-Mekong River bridge' continuous beam along the China-Laos Railway was completed on September 17. Yan Haiyong, CPC party secretary of the China Railway No 8 Engineering Group (CREC-8)'s railway project department, who is in charge of the construction of the two bridges across the Mekong along the China-Laos Railway, said that the Luang Prabang railway bridge with a total length of 1458.9 meters, is a key project of the China-Laos Railway. According to Yan, the bridge's continuous beam design has high technical standards and is difficult to construct with pier-side bracket. The first block of the continuous beam has a length of 12 meters and consumes a concrete volume of 266 cubic meters. (Reported by steelguru.com.


How is China's New Silk Road transforming Vietnam and Laos? See documentary by Channel News Asia:




Update 8.9.2018

After days of heavy Monsoon rains, that caused floods in Luang Prabang province, a bridge across Mekong river has collapsed into the river. It served to construct the new railwy bridge across the Mekong near Luang Prabang.


Picture from this video of the collapse.


Update 27.8.2018

The Chinese-built railway through Laos is worth half of that little nation’s GDP, writes washingtonpost.com. In a report by two researchers from Harvard’s Kennedy School, former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans is quoted as saying Laos and Cambodia, each of which has borrowed more than $5 billion, are now “wholly owned subsidiaries of China.” Meanwhile Malaysias new Prime Minister Mahathir has cancelled two multi-billio dollar Chinese projetcs because Malaysia can’t repay its debts. “We do not want a situation where there is a new version of colonialism,” Malaysia’s leader told Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. One of the projects, dubbed the East Coast Rail Link, would have connected the South China Sea with strategic shipping routes in Malaysia’s west, providing an essential trade link. The other was a natural gas pipeline in Sabah, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo.


Update 25.8.2018

In Phu Din Daeng, a village of 200 people about eight kilometers outside of Vang Vieng town, people have been told they should leave their homes to make way for the Laos-China railway. The people in Phu Din Daeng are living next to a giant construction site, near the planned Vang Vieng Railway Station.

Until now some 53 tunnels have been bored through mountains at a combined length of 37,314 meters, while 47 of the 167 bridges to be built for the line are under construction, reports chiangraitimes.com.

Laos’ cash commitment is US$720 million, of which US$250 million will come from the national budget over the next five years and the remaining US$470 million borrowed from the Export Import Bank of China at a 2.3% interest with a 35-year maturity after a five-year grace period, reports chiangraitimes.com.

With a project cost of nearly one-third of the country's copy6-billion GDP, there are concerns that the debt burden on Laos will outweigh the benefits. Public debt reached 68% of GDP in 2016 (it is less than 50% in Thailand), raising the debt distress level from "moderate" to "high" in the recent World Bank/IMF Debt Sustainability Analysis, as Bangkok Post reported.

The Ganlanba Bridge(橄榄坝特大桥) is 3.5 km long and has 108 supporting columns(桥墩). It has been constructed on the China side of the railway in Jinghong city, Yunnan province. The last(最后的) supporting column of the bridge has been installed(安装), reports chinaplus.cri.cn.

Read also: Chinese Tourist ‘Invasion’ Feared As High-Speed Laos-China Railway Will boost visitor numbers dramatically. In Luang Prabang Chinese low-cost retail chain Miniso opened a shop in June on Sisavangvong Road. In expectation of more regional visitors, many town-centre Luang Prabang residents have sold or rented out their properties to Chinese, South Korean or Vietnamese investors. The Mekong Sunset Guest House, for example, previously operated by a Lao national, is now run by a Chinese family from Guangxi province, reports South China Morning Post.


Update 18.6.2018

Recently, the pier No. 214 of Nanke River Bridge 楠科内河特大桥 in Laos was successfully poured. This is the longest bridge of the railway section built by the China Railway Second Bureau.




Update 23.11.2017

Chinas railway project in Laos is "set to be completed in 2021", reports Global Times, but the network reprots difficulties as well. Huang Hong, head of China-Laos railway commanding department under China Railway Group Ltd, says, that at mid-October "we've completed 14,925 meters in the channel excavation work", while the total length of the construction tender is 244.5 kilometers, including 45 tunnels and 99 bridges.

Xu Liping, an expert with the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, underlines that the project is one between two nations, and so far not an intercontinental project extended to Thailand. But the project only makes full sense, if trains from China can go through to Thailand and down to Singapore.

And the China-Laos rail project faces some difficulties. For example, funds are not always allocated on time, and Laos lacks some of the needed construction materials like cement, Huang Hong said.

Zhao Xiang, director general of the Laos-China Railway Company, said according to Xinhuanet that in less than six months, site preparation has been completed for the construction of four stations; foundation construction of nine bridge piles have finished; 86 holes for construction of 46 tunnels have been prepared, of which 15 are key tunnels.

More than 4,400 Lao families are being forced to relocate to make way for the Lao-Chinese high-speed railway, reports rfa.org, by citing Rattanamany Khounnivong, deputy minister at the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport and one of the heads of the construction unit. The ministry is working with the provincial task force committees to finalize compensation schemes for those who are forced to relocate, Rattanamany said. Workers have been blasting tunnels in mountains, building bridges and roads, and clearing land for stations and substations along the planned rail line in the three northern provinces of Luang Namtha, Oudomxay, and Luang Prabang since construction on the railway got under way late last December.

In Thailand construction work has been delayed for the initial 3.5-kilometre stretch of the Thai-Chinese high-speed railway in Nakhon Ratchasima, Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said. The project's environmental impact assessment (EIA) report is still pending approval according to Bangkok Post.

Picture by Thai PBS
Planned railway from Klang Dong to Pang Asok Station


Update 23.4.2017


Boken-Vientiane rail route auf einer größeren Karte anzeigen

China's mammoth project to construct a railway from southwest China's Yunnan Province through Laos to its capital Vientiane is advancing now. Hundreds of trucks carrying machinery and equipment for construction have entered Laos, Vientiane Times reported. Preparations are now underway to start the boring of tunnels.

The 417-km railway will have 75 tunnels with a combined length of 197.83 km and work is expected to begin before the upcoming rainy season, Deputy Minister of Public Works and Transport and Chairman of the Laos-China Railway Project Management Committee, Mr Lattanamany Khounnivong, told Vientiane Times. Officials in charge have negotiated with villagers whose land is needed for the railway and have handed over their land to Chinese contractors. Six Chinese contractors will carry out construction of the USD 5.8 billion railway, with completion slated for 2021.

China Railway No 2 Group Co Ltd is responsible for the construction of Muang Phonhong section, as we learn by chinadaily. According to this source construction of the project is scheduled for five years with investment of some 40 billion Chinese yuan (USD 5.8 billion), 70 percent of which comes from Chinese investment and the rest 30 percent from Lao side.

China Railway Group (CRG) has signed a RMB 8.1 billion (US$ 1.2 billion) agreement to build the first three sections of the Boten-Vientiane Railway Project according to khl.com.

"The Nation" shows a picture of the Boten End of one tunnel, where boring has begun. Also in the province of Luang Prabang preparations are underway by China Railway No.8 Engineering Group, see pictures showing a tunnel near Luang Prabang.

Construction has begun, but questions remain. Discussions concerning loans and interest rates are ongoing between Laos and China, says Agatha Kratz, an associate policy fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations, according to asiasentinel.com. Another skeptic is Ruth Banomyong, the director of the Center for Logistics Research at Thailand’s Thammasat University. Asiasentinal quotes her: “The challenge will come when Laos will have to repay,” she warned. “Will they have sufficient revenue generated to repay? This is doubtful as the financial feasibility study done by the Chinese does not have realistic assumptions.” According to a paper by Lao government Laos gets a Chinese loan of 480 Million US Dollars at 2.3 percebt rate per year to pay for 50 Million US Dollars, while Laos has to borrow the rest at the rate of 3 percent. See the paper in Lao: ເອກະສານໂຄສະນາເຜີຍແຜ່ນຳພາແນວຄິດກ່ຽວກັບໂຄງການກໍ່ສ້າງທາງລົດໄຟລາວ-ຈີນ.


See map of the Boten-Vientiane-Railway-Line and read more technical details.



Update 10.3.2015:

China's mammoth project to construct a high-speed railway from southwest China’s Yunnan Province through Laos to its capital Vientiane is more and more in delay: The government of Laos tries to get a better loan interest rate from China, as Bangkok Post reports. Beijing has offered a US$500-million loan with a 3% interest rate for 20 years according to Vientiane Times. The estimated costs now: US$6.8 billion. The Lao and Chinese governments should be responsible for 40 percent of the total cost, while state enterprises of the two countries should jointly be responsible for sourcing the remaining 60 percent.

Delays are not new for this project. "Beijing is believed to be waiting for the Thai parliament to approve a planned £41 billion infrastructure upgrade, which will include a high-speed rail line from the Laos border to Bangkok, before signing off on the loan", reported telegraph.co.uk in January 2014.

The railway risks to create a financial desaster for Laos: Laos plans to borrow £4.5 billion from Beijing to pay for its section of the railway. This is almost 90 per cent of Laos’s annual GDP of £5.2 billion. The loan will make Laos the world’s fourth most-indebted nation after Japan, Zimbabwe and Greece - "trouble for a poor country", wrote The Economist. Read also: China's commercial 'takeover' of Laos by Nikkei Asian Review.

But right now the political crisis in Thailand hinders the Thai government to move on with the project for the highspeed-rail-link between Bangkok and Vientiane. On March 12 Thailands Constitution Court ruled, that the government's legislative bill to empower the Finance Ministry to seek two trillion baht in loans for infrastructure development projects is unconstitutional, as Bangkok Post reports. This means delay for high-speed train lines to Chiang Mai, Rayong, Nong Khai (border to Vientiane in Laos) and Padang Besar, on the Malaysian border.

See a presentation of the railway project from Boten to Vientiane on youtube.com. The planned railway will have a standard-gauge track, and a maximum speed of 160km/h, less than the 200km/h initially planned, as The Nation reported. See also this video showing the planned railwa line.
The line will require 76 tunnels and 154 bridges, including two across the Mekong River, and 31 stations. These stations have been named until now: Boten, Ban Na Thong, Ban Hua Nam, Muang Xai, Ban Na Khok Tay, Huoi Phou Lai, Luang Prabang, Muong Xieng Ngeun, Ban Sen, Kasi, Ban Bua Pheouk, Ban Pha Tang, Vang Vieng, Ban Vang Mon, Ban Mang Khi, Ban Hin Heup, Phonh Hong, Ban Sakha, Ban Phonh Sung, Vientiane Neua and Vientiane Tay.
Villages will have to be relocated, if the railway is constructed, as South China Moring Post writes.

The railway project ist expected to draw an estimated 20000 Chinese construction workers into Laos. In the northern province of Oudomxay Chinese residents already make up around 15 per cent of the population of 30,000. "Chinese-owned hotels, shops and restaurants line the roads and street signs are in both Laotian and Mandarin", reports todayonline.com. Chinese companies are already investing across Laos in everything from rubber and banana plantations to construction, hydroelectric and mining projects. The railway project increases fears. "I think if the Chinese are willing to provide the money, then they're doing it for a number of reasons," says Tristan Knowles, a director at Economists at Large, a Melbourne, Australia-based think tank. "You can flood the market in Laos with Chinese goods, especially agricultural products. The meat and livestock industries in Laos may not be able to compete unless they modernise in the time it takes to build the railway." Chinese companies own an increasing number of the rubber plantations that are the mainstay of northwest Laos’ economy, reports South China Morning Post. And even in Vientiane there are more and more shops run by Chinese people. Read more in the book Vientiane: Transformations of a Lao Landscape by Marc Askew,Colin Long adn William Logan.

A Chinese-invested cement factory was inaugurated in December 2015 in Khammouane Province, expected to serve the construction of China-Laos railway project. The Jixiang cement factory, with an investment of 120 million U.S. dollars, is a BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) project signed between China's Yunnan Provincial Energy Investment Group and Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment in March 2012. A representative of China's Yunnan Provincial Energy Investment Group told Xinhua that the designed capacity of the factory is 1 million ton a year, accounting for 20 percent of Laos' total cement production capacity.

China has announced that it will invest US$31.4 billion in the Mengla economic zone in Yunnan province, which shares a border with Luang Namtha and Phongsaly provinces in northern Laos. In September 2015 the governments of Laos and China signed a cooperation agreement to establish an economic cooperation zone in the Boten-Mohan border area, aiming to boost trade, investment and tourism in the region as inquirer.net writes. Construction started on a railway linking Yuxi to Mohan in August and preparations for Mengla airport are underway. On the Lao territory, Boten is currently designated as a specific economic zone. The zone is being developed by two Chinese companies – Yunnan Hai Cheng Industrial Group Stock Co., Ltd and Hong Kong Fuk Hing Travel Entertainment Group Ltd with a concession period of 99 years. The Chinese developers have announced that they will focus on four mega projects in the zone including a duty free center, bus station complex, warehousing and a resort that shall feature a large natural marsh, hotel, meeting hall and other relaxing places.

Chinese influence is also very apparent in Muang Xay, the capital of Oudomxay Province. Hotel Sheng Chang was established in early 2014 with a big supermarket, a casino and a restaurant. Chinese shops and advertisements fully span both sides of the road in Muang Xay. "One can find small and middle-sized Chinese auto repair shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, computer shops, guest houses, and, of course, restaurants", notes eastasiaforum.org.


Read earlier story:
Chinese money brings big change: A railway from the North of Laos to Vientiane and Thailand


This blogger thanks a lot for accurate updates, maps and great pictures to:
SkyscraperCity: Laos High Speed Train : ລົດໄຟຄວາມໄວສູງ
; Auke Koopmans and rideasia.net.


Read more:
China in Laos: Is There Cause For Worry?
Laos Railways – Information on every planned railway
Chinas Fast Track to Influence: Building a Railway in Laos

Monday, March 30, 2020

Laos and Coronavirus: People have to stay at Home, Border Checkpoints closed


Luang Prabang, 29.3.2020: Streets quiet, people hat home after lockdown by governent due to Coronavirus Picture by In Laos ໃນເມືອງລາວ on Facebook

Follow Updates on Treasures of Laos on Facebook



31.3.2020
Vientiane bus suspends all services as virus prevention measure. Also in Bokeo prince public transport has been suspended.


30.3.2020
The Lao government said all international checkpoints will be closed to stop passengers from exiting and entering Laos, as the country imposed a lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, reports Xinhua. The transport of goods will, however, be permitted. People from all walks of life, including expatriates in Laos, are not allowed to go out of their homes or other accommodation for non-essential purposes. The measures will be in place from Monday (March 30) to April 19 and further changes could be made, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Monday. Read the report by Vientiane Times. Five patients are being treated at Mittaphab Hospital in the capital, and three are being cared for at Luang Prabang provincial hospital (see Facevook Page). "Outbreak fears in Laos escalated after thousands of Lao workers in neighbouring countries, especially Thailand, where a widespread outbreak was reported, have rushed home", writes Vientiane Times. Entertainment venues, karaoke, beer shops, night markets, massage and spa service venues, witness or sporting centres were told to close down.
Another case of Covid-19 infection has been confirmed in Vientiane Capital, bringing the total number of cases in Laos to nine. A 22-year-old woman, one of the thousands of Lao laborers who have returned from Thailand, has been tested positive, reports Laotian Times


26.3.2020
The number of cases of coronavirus infection in Laos have doubled overnight, an official with the country’s Ministry of Health said Thursday, bringing the total to six, reports rfa.org. The two new cases are two male tour bus drivers, aged 42 and 52, from Luang Prabang city who had close contact with a female, aged 36, who works as a guide for European tourists and was confirmed as one of the country’s first two infections on Tuesday, along with a 28-year-old male working in management at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in the capital Vientiane. The third new case—a 41-year-old male in Vientiane—had close contact with a 26-year-old male businessman who on Wednesday was confirmed as the third case and had become infected after having dinner with the Crowne Plaza Hotel employee.


25.3.2020
Kiridara Luang Prabang informs on Facebook: "The temporary suspension of all international flights into Luang Prabang and border closures due to the Covid-19 situation have caused hotels in Luang Prabang to temporarily cease operations."


23.3.2020
Chinese workers, some from a company in Wuhan, have restarted works for the construction of China-Laos railway, precautions are taken against coronavirus. Read more here.


3.2.2020
Chinese national carrying coronavirus travelled through Laos: The Laotian Times obtained a document from Chinese consulate in Luang Prabang. This document announced that Zhang Biao, a Chinese national from Chongqing (southwest China), had been discovered to have been infected with the coronavirus during his travel to Laos. In the evening of the 26th of January, Mr Zhang traveled to Vientiane Capital on China Express Airlines (flight G52805) as part of a group tour. He then proceeded to go to Vang Vieng on the 27th and reached Luang Prabang on the evening of the 28th. He then returned to Chongqing on the 31st via China Express Airlines (flight G54856).


Thursday, March 26, 2020

Another controversial Mekong Dam in Luang Prabang raises Fears

See the location on Luang Prabang Google Map by #treasuresoflaos

Update 26.12.2020
Construction of the controversial Luang Prabang Dam on the Mekong River, near the ancient Lao capital of the same name, is making progress, as rfa.org reports. Access roads, including a 14-kilometer spur to the dam from a nearby highway and a road that circles the site, are nearly 60 percent complete, a new ferry port was recently finished, and a workers’ camp and bridge spanning the Mekong are underway. An expected 581 families will be displaced. The Project site is located on the Mekong River approximately 25 km upstream of Luang Prabang town at the village Ban Houaygno and about 4 km upstream of the confluence between Nam Ou and the Mekong. See details on Hobomaps.

In November 2020 Thailand-based CK Power Public Company Limited acquired 42% of Luang Prabang Power Company Limited (LPCL) from PT (Sole) Company Limited (PTS), reports kaohoon.com from Lao investment company PT (Sole) Company Limited (PTS). In December CKP has entered into capital increase in its shareholding proportion in LPCL.


Update 26.3.2020
Thailands Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon raises concerns over Luang Prabang dam: He calls for international efforts to monitor the controversial Luang Prabang dam project in Laos and the impact it will have on the Mekong River, where water levels have been unusually low.


13.1.2020

Luang Prabang Dam - illustration in MRC project overview

Vietnam's rice bowl, the Mekong Delta, severly damaged? Luang Prabang World heritage town inundated and destroyed? Such fears have been raised, after the Lao government has announced another massive dam project on Mekong river: the Luang Prabang dam. Laos has formally notified the Mekong River Commission (MRC) of its intention. The 1460 MW Luang Prabang dam is the fifth dam to be submitted for consultation. The earlier hydropower projects were Xayaburi (operational now), Don Sahong (in the final testing phase), Pak Beng and Pak Lay.

Luang Prabang dam is planned approximately 25 km upstream of Luang Prabang ancient town, at the village Ban Houaygno, and about 4 km upstream of the confluence between Nam Ou and Mekong, with a 90 sq km reservoir. The Luang Prabang Power Company Limited (LPCL) has been established to develop the project by PetroVietnam Power Corporation (PV Power). Petrovietnam Power Corporation is a subsidiary of Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation. The dam will have a navigation lock so that boats still can navigate up- and downstream. Fish could use two fish locks as well as the ship lock to migrate upstream. To protect Luang Prabang town from the flood of a dam failure the structures shall be designed to withstand extreme seismic and flood events. That is necessary: Luang Prabng province is located in a high earthquake hazard region.


Illustration in MRC project overwiew

The US$ 2,000 million project is expected to have a direct impact on 26 villages in three provinces: Luang Prabang, Oudomxay and Xayaburi, with an estimated 840 households3 and 9,974 people. These villages would be in the submerged area and/or the backwater area and their inhabitants would have to be relocated, either to new resettlement sites or higher ground in the same villages. The impacts foreseen are loss of agricultural and forestry land, houses and public infrastructure. The report notes that lost land cannot be replaced as all the productive land is already being used.

The generated electricity is foreseen to be exported the neighboring countries Vietnam and Thailand.

See overview of Luang Prabang Hydropower Project.

The decision by Petrovietnam to invest in the Luang Prabang dam, "has caused confusion and dismay for many Mekong experts, civil society groups, and some government officials in Hanoi", writes The Diplomat. The critcal voices argue, that the Mekong delta is highly vulnerable to downstream impacts by the dams in the river. They could block nutrient-rich sediment from reaching the fragile ecosystem of the delta, Vietnams rice bowl. Back in 2011, the former Vietnamese prime minister called for the stop of the construction of the Xayaburi dam. "Now, however, the Vietnamese government has switched sides and slipped into bed with the dam developers", analyzes The Diplomat. Dr. Philip Hirsch, the former director of the Mekong Research Center at Sydney University, commented that “the involvement of a major state owned company in developing hydropower on the Mekong mainstream undermines earlier official positions that such development poses great risks to the millions of people living, farming and fishing in the Mekong Delta.” According to a report by the Mekong River Commission, before the first dam in 1990, the Mekong was releasing 160 million tonnes of sediment on average per year. Now it is only 80 million tonnes per year, notes vietnamnews.vn.

The Save the Mekong coalition, a coalition of non-government organisations, community-based groups and concerned citizens within the Mekong region, recently has expressed her concern over the Luang Prabang project with these words: “If built, Luang Prabang dam, combined with Pak Beng, Xayaburi and Pak Lay dams, would complete the transformation of the Mekong River along the entire stretch of northern Laos into a series of stepped lakes, resulting in major and irreversible damage to the health and productivity of the river. This means that the wide range of economic and social benefits that the river provides to society will be lost, and the river will become a water channel for electricity generation, primarily benefiting hydropower companies.”

Read also:
Update on the status of Mekong mainstream dams by International Rivers
Laos - the Battery of Asia: Hydropower Dams and Consequences


Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Lao Power for Thailand: New dams on Bolaven Plateau affect the Dong Hua Sao National Biodiversity Conservation Area

First publicated on 15.02.13

See the locations on Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Hydroelectric Project Google Map

Picture by Piboon Boonsong
Houay Makchan River: Plans for a dam

Laos has signed a 32-year land lease with investors to develop the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydroelectric project according to emergingfrontiersblog.com. Lao Deputy Natural Resources and the Environment Minister Akhom Tounalom signed the agreement with the chief executive officer of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Power Co, Young-Ju Choi, in Vientiane. Construction of the project in Attapeu and Champasak provinces is expected to start in July, with commercial operation planned for February 2019, project officials told The Vientiane Times. The initial investment cost of the project was about 2,100 billion kip (7.8 billion baht). The firm is a joint venture between the Lao government, which has a 24% stake, SK Engineering and Construction Co (26%), and the Korea Western Power Co and Thailand-based Ratchaburi Electric Generating Holding Plc with 25% each. The hydro dam is designed to produce 390 megawatts. Around 90% of the energy will be sold to Thailand with the rest for domestic consumption.

Picture by Piboon Boonsong
Xe Pian River: Plans for a dam

In this project, 1,000 MCM of water, which is received from Houay Makchan Dike and Xe Pian Dam, will be stored in Xe Namnoy Dam. The dams are located on the Bolaven Plateau while the power plants are installed at the base. The flow of water from the height of 630 meters by a 13.5-kilometer headrace tunnel to the powerhouse at the bottom of the Xe Kong Valley enables the generating of electricity. The water will then be discharged into Xe Kong River, notes teamgroup.co.th. Xe Kong River flows into Mekong River.

Picture by Piboon Boonsong
Xe Namnoy River: Plans for a dam

Thousands of people have been forcefully moved from their old villages between 1996 and 2001 along the Xe Pian and Xe Namnoy rivers to make way for two dams that were being planned at that time, the Houay Ho and Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydropower projects, as International Rivers reports. The dams then were not built because the Korean developer’s original plans ran aground during the Asian financial crisis. Two villages, Ban Houay Chot and Ban Nong Pha Nouan rejected the resettlement packages and stayed behind. Now this villagers are confronted with the beginning work. Unclear is, which consequences the project has for ethnic minority people in Cambodia living downstream along the Xe Kong River.

The dam projects are situated in Dong Hua Sao National Biodiversity Conservation Area, Read more about this Area on visitlaos.org and see photostream and comments by Ben. 1996 there was conducted a wildlife and habitat survey.

Picture by 杨德寿/Yang Deshou
Xe Namnoy River


Nearby is Xe Pian National Biodiversity Conservation Area. The Xe Pian National Protected Area (NPA) stretches out over 240,000 hectares in the Provinces of Champasak and Attapeu and touches the National border of Cambodia. It is one of the most important nature reserves in Laos. It has extensive wetlands and is home to rare wildlife such as elephants, gaur, sun bear, Asiatic black bear and the yellow-cheeked gibbon.

Read more:
Trekking around Kiet Ngong and Phapho wetlands - in Xe Pian National Protected Area


Saturday, June 2, 2018

Si Phan Don ສີ່​ພັນ​ດອນ - 4000 islands in the Mekong

See the locations on Si Phan Don Google Map
See the Pakse Weather Forecast


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Boats in the evening sun


"Si Phan Don" in Lao means "4000 islands". Around 110 to 60 kilometres down from Pakse the Mekong River forms different streams and these form hunders of islands. More than 60 000 people are living here, mainly from fishing. And here you find also the Irrawaddy Dolphins. See a picture by peterjones79. The best time to see the Irrawaddy dolphins is in the morning or in the late afternoon. But: Be aware: The Mekong Dolphin is endangered. Read: Is there a future for the Mekong Dolphin?


The best time to visit Si Phan Don is between November and January when the weather is cool and dry.


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Mekong River at Si Phan Don

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How to arrive

By bus:

Pakse-Don Khong: From Southern Bus Terminal in Pakse buses or Songthaews leave several times between 10 am and 3 pm. After 120 km (three hours) you arrive by ferry in Muang Khong.

Pakse-Don Khon/Don Det: From Southern Bus Terminal in Pakse buses or Songthaews for Ban Nakasang leave several times between 7.30 am and 3 pm (three to four hours), then you take the longtailboat to Don Khon or Don Det.

Ubon Ratchathani-Pakse-Khon Phapeng Waterfalls: Air-conditioned buses operate on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. The bus leaves Ubon Ratchathani at 0730 and arrives at the waterfall in southern Laos around noon. From Khon Phapeng it departs at 1400 and arrives in Ubon Ratchathani around 1830. The bus stops in Pakse for people who want to overnight there. For more information call Ubon Ratchathani’s bus station (045 314 299) or the Transport Company at 1490.

By car: There is a car ferry from Ban Hat to Ban Na on Don Khong island.



Don Khong ດອນ ໂຂງ - the big island

See the locations on Don Khong Google Map

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Rice field

Don Khong is the main island, the big one, as lokal people say, when they want to prevent you from mistaking it with Don Khon, which lies near the Mekong waterfalls. Don Khong is 18 km long and 8 km wide. The island can easily discovered by bicycles, which can be rented from a woman on the street near the pier of Muang Khong or also in the guesthouses. On the bike you will discover a quiet rural life. But don't forget a hat, to protect your head from the strong sun. Read, what Stevie_Wes saw on a bike tour.


Muang Khong
Muang Khong is the main village - a former French settlement. A large gold Buddha in the subduing Mara pose is overlooking the Mekong at Vat Phuang Kaew, also known as Vat Kan Khong:

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Vat Chom Thong at the upstream end of the village dates from the Chao Anou period (1805-1828). You find a Khmer-influenced sim with an unusual cruciform floor plan and carved wooden window shutters:

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Khmer influenced door

The naga heads on the roof of the main sim spill water from their mouths during raintime. Coconut and betel palms and Mango trees give the temple grounds some shade.


View across the Mekong towards Hat Xai Khun and its temple:

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A more detailed picture of the temple by Jo



Muang Saen

Muang Saen is a little village with view to the Cambodian boarder across the Mekong.
By bicycle it's about 45 minutes from Muang Khong. About 6 km north of Ban Muang Saen Nua you arrive at Wat Phou Khao Kaew (Glass Hill Monastery):

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Wat Phouang Keo

An entrance leads to the underground location of the nagas (Muang Nak). The legend says, the nagas will come to the surface to protect the Lao poeple when the country is in danger.


Ban Hua Khong

Ban Hua Khong at the north-western end of Don Khong was in 1924 the birthplace 0r Khamtay Siphandone, who became a postman and later the president of Laos. He has renovated Wat Hua Khong Pha Nyai with a cement seated Buddha image in the main sim.


At the southern tip of the island you discover two small villages: Ball Huay and Ban Hang Khong. Here Wat Thepsulin Phudin Hang Khong, also known as Wat Hang Khong, has spacious grounds and a small sim. Nearby is a carved and painted wooden Buddha sanctuary and the dharma sermon hall. Then there is Wat Sllimangkhalaham in Ban Huay.



Where to stay on Don Khong:

In Muang Khong:

Auberge Sala Done Khong: Closed in December 2010 - for renovation? No information on their website. From 26 USD. Air-con rooms with hot shower in wooden french colonial houses. Veranda areas to relax. "Popular with tour groups", notes travelfish.org. Very good reviews on tripadvisor.com. See picture by June.




Bounma Guesthouse: Basic rooms in an old wooden house.

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Don Khong Guesthouse
: 20 USD. Choice of rooms with fan or aircon (upstairs). Upstairs you find a balcony with reclining chairs and you overlook the Mekong River. The guesthouse rents bikes and you can book transportation to Pakse and Si Phan Don. Good review by Captain_Bob on thorntree

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Mali Guesthouse: 30 USD. Ban Kangkhong.


Mekong Inn: Ban Kangkong. 250m south of the boat landing. Fan rooms with shared bath are on the wooden second floor, air-con rooms with attached bath on the concrete first floor. Good review on travelfish.org. Read also the review by Free Pants.

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Villa Muong Khong Hotel: From 43 USD. 22 rooms in bungalows with air-con and bathrooms with hot showers. Bicycles can be rented here. Good reviews on holidaycheck and virtualtourist. A "comfortable midrange option" according to travelfish.org


Picture Muong Khong Villa


Pon Arena Hotel and Pon's River Guest House: From 20 USD. "It feels more like a small hotel than a guesthouse", comments travelfish.org. In fact a hotel has been added not far from the guesthouse.

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Pon's Guest House with the small road along the Mekong

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Pon's Arena Hotel

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Souk Sabay Don Khong: Next door to Pon's guesthouse. Good review by Tannith. "The rooms here are nothing special", comments travelfish.org. No good view according to visitasiatravel.com

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Senesothxuen Hotel: From 50 USD. See picture by Diane and picture on tripadvisor.de. Critical review on holidaycheck

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Souksan Guesthouse: From 35 USD. One kilometer from the boat landing. With air-con and hot-water bath. The former dorm-style accommodation was replaced with a new building. There are also bungalows and a restaurant with Chinese, Lao and Thai food at the river. Critical review on travelfish.org


Villa Kang Khong: From 15 USD. Aircon from 15 USD. Resembles a traditional Lao wooden house, 12 rooms. They rent bikes. Good review on tripadvisor.com. "Try for an upstairs room though as the downstairs ones are a bit dark and cellar-like", is the advise of travelfish.org.

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See also pcitures by Karin 1, 2 and 3. And also pictures by Ben and mypuffin



In Muang Saen:

Say Khong Guest House: Opposite the boat landing. Cold shower.

Muong Sene Guest House: *Go there for the huge wooden rooms with charm and the relative tranquility (rooster around)", notes passplanet.com.



On Mekong River from Don Khong to Don Det

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Leavinmg from Don Khong

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One of 4000 islands

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Car ferry to Don Khong

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Another of the 4000 islands...

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...and more of them

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French Bridge between Don Khon and Don Det, with mountains in Cambodia

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Arriving at Ban Nakasong



Don Det

See the locations on Don Det Google Map

Map of Don Det

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The French Pier on Don Det - the end of a railway, that started on Don Khon, to move goods from the lower side of the Mekong Falls to the upper side, because ships could not get trough.

Don Det can be quite full of backpackers you may have met before on Khao San Road in Bangkok. It's no longer the quiet spot you may be looking for. "The northern tip of Don Dhet - where the boats set down - has become very heavily developed towards backpacking tourism. Cafes, restaurants, pseudo-bars, tour and travel agents and (slooooooow) internet cafes", notes Stevie_Wes. But he adds, that it's relative here: "It is quiet. Super-relaxed. And not over-hustled or bustled by either touts or tourists. Yes ‘happy’ food stuffs and drinks and ‘buckets’ are available but not shoved down your throat." See a bike ride throigh Don Det on a video by iamgreg007

A guide for Don Det you find on travelfish.org


Where to stay on Don Det:

Billee's Guest House: See picture by fritz_da_kat


Cafe Don Det: Read about on passplanet.com


Cindy's Guesthouse: See picture by anlis


Hangdet Bungalow: Read about on passplanet.com


Little Eden: Good reviews on tripadvisor.com. Read how the Belgian Mathieu started the guesthouse and see pictures of Little Eden on Jenni & Michael's Blog


Mr. Mo Guest House:


Mr. Phao's Sunrise Bungalows: Read the review by Martin-Stefan in German.


Mr. Thos Bungalow: Read about on passplanet.com


King Kong Bungalows:

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King Kong Restaurant


Nouphit Guest House: See picture by fritz_da_kat


Paradise Guesthouse:


River Garden Guesthouse:

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Santiphab Guesthouse:


Souksan Guesthouse:

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Thawan Daeng Guesthouse:



Don Khon

See the locations on Don Khon Google Map


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Mekong sunset, seen from Salaphae.

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Sunset in Don Khon

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French colonial railway bridge between Don Khon and Don Det

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What's left of the French railway

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French school on Don Khon

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Chan Thouma Restaurant

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Wat Khon Tai

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Wat Khon Tai



Where to stay on Don Khon:

Bane Khone Guesthouse: Read about on passplanet.com


Mr. Bouaphanh Guesthouse: Two bungalows with shared bath on the river bank and more bungalows with private bathroom off the river. "One of the best budget locations", commemnts travelfish.org . Read about on passplanet.com. See a picture by Travels in Southern Lao


Kampheng Guesthouse: Wood and bamboo bungalow, no electricity, cold shower. See picture by Vix. Read review by TheSnowQueen


Mr. Bounh's Guesthouse: Read about on passplanet.com


Pakha Guesthouse: Read about on passplanet.com


Pan's Guesthouse: From 18 USD. Bungalows with river or garden view, at the riverfront, facing Don Det. Here you can book tours in and around Si Phan Don and rent bicycles or motorbikes and hire minivans and boats with drivers. Internet is available. See picture by Cecilia74 and planettreasures

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Sala Done Khone: From 22 USD. Spacious, nicely decorated rooms in an old teak house in French colonial style and three floating studios. All of the rooms have air-con plus private bath with hot showers. "The main building has been refurbished without interfering with its historic character", adds travelfish.org. Read more on passplanet.com. Good reviews on tripadvisor.com - except for one complaning about a house party all night long om opposite Don Det. Can arrange boat trips for Khonephapheng waterfall. Picture by June

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Salaphae: From 25 USD. "Outstanding" according to travelfish.org. Raft houses with solar heating and more rooms in French Residence and Ban Lao Residence. Salaphae has also a camping with bungalows on Khone Pa Soi - with waterfall view. See pictures by umdiewelt.de

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Outlook from the raft house

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Ban Lao Residence


Seng Ahloune Guesthouse: Fro, 34 USD. Wooden bungalows are raised on stilts, set around the garden and on the river front.

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See also picture by Uwe.


Somphamit Guesthouse: 10 USD. Six guestrooms in three wooden buildings on stilts with communal balconies. Simple fan rooms with mosquito net. Next door to Sala Dhone Khone. Go for one of the new bungalows, is the advise of travelfish.org. Read also review on passplanet.com

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Xaymontri Residence: From 09 USD. Good option off the river according to travelfish.org

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Khon Phapheng Falls

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How to arrive here: Take a boat to Ban Nakasong. (20 minutes from Don Khon, 5 minutes from Don Det). Take a Tuktuk to the falls, ask for at least two hours staying at the falls.



Somphamit Falls, also called Li Phi Falls

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Li Phi means "spirit trap" in local words. Many Lao people believe the falls catch ghosts and spirits. But there is also another explanation for the name: During the Indochina-war dead bodies were dumped in the Mekong and carried into the fish traps near the falls. This story was reported by The Nation


Si Phan Don by boat-tour:

Vat Phou Mekong Cruises:


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What's more funny?


Read more:
Trekking around Kiet Ngong and Phapho wetlands - in Xe Pian National Protected Area
Champasak, Vat Phou and Lingaparvata
Is there a Future for the Mekong Dolphins?
Don Sahon Dam project threatens Mekong Dolphins